Enouement
by quatch
Summary: If you asked Harry what's beyond the Veil, he would tell you that it's not the Afterlife. Heaven ? Hell, maybe ? Wrong. It's worst. But, oh, what wouldn't he do for his godfather ?
1. Chapter 1

**I guess that the first thing that I should say is that I really enjoyed writing this story. Really. Like, I had this idea in mind for a while now, and I'm happy** **with the way it turned out. But the thing is...well. English is not my first language, and I'm really, really afraid to have made mistakes. I read and reread it, but still...If there's any kind of grammatical mistakes, don't hesitate to tell me !**

* * *

" _In order to avoid this bitter end, we would all have to be born again, and born with the knowledge of alternatives. Even then?"_

― _Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Birds Sings_

* * *

Harry was slowly beginning to question his choices. He had no idea about what exactly happened, after he jumped into the Veil : he remembered falling, nothing but darkness around him, and finally landing on what he guessed was grass. There had been a spell, certainly, because he was in one piece and perfectly capable to get up.

"What the hell."

That's all he could mutter. He looked around him, disoriented, but it was useless : the sun had to be hidden behind many layers of clouds, because it was pretty dark and there was a thick white fog all over the place. Nonetheless, Harry spotted a forest, a few meters away. He forgot his sorrow to have lost his godfather for a second.

"What is this...what ? That's...what ?"

he looked in all directions, hoping to see Sirius appear, well an alive, but there was no one else, apart from him. Harry had some serious difficulties to tell if it was good or bad : it could means that his godfather had ended up _somewhere else,_ that he was lying dead behind a hill, or that his first instinct had been to run into the dark, huge, and scary looking forest _._

Fortunately, Harry hadn't too much trouble to believe that the last option was the most likely. He began to walk toward the forest, while knowing perfectly well that it was in fact a terrible idea.

The initial shock had passed, and the reason why he was actually there in the first place hit Harry like if his uncle had thrown one of his drill at his face. But it was even worst now, because he didn't know if he needed to feel sad and blame himself for Sirius death, or if his godfather was perfectly healthy and purely exploring the place.

When Harry reached the edge, he hesitated. Those trees _did_ looked menacing, for some reasons. But he was nowhere near to be a coward : he made sure that his wand was in his pocket, clenched his fists, and entered the forest with a slight apprehension in his stomach. The fog was still there, and the wind through the leaves made them whistle a disturbing song.

It was cold, and his hair rose on his neck. He felt like if a million of invisibles Dementors were circling him, and it was not a pleasant thing. But he kept walking anyway, purely because standing still until someone – or something, maybe ? - found him didn't sound like the kind of thing that Hermione would have advised him to do.

"D'you reckon we should go home ?

-Negative.

-Ow...why ? I'm _freezing_.

-Me too. But I'm not too eager to disobey _his_ order.

-Man...That sucks.

-Yes, yes. It does."

Harry stayed still for a second, startled like a deer caught in the headlights. But he quickly hurried behind a particularly large trunk, just in time to hear the footsteps on the creaking leaves.

"I don't want to be here. That job is terrible and everybody knows that. Why, of all people, is it us that got it ? We're supposed to be privileged !

-Yeah ? And why is that ?

-Come on. We're pure bloods ! Well, at least, you are. I don't believe in this shit, but you know that _he_ does.

-Fair enough. Well, just think that we don't have a lot of work to actually do.

-Yeah. Never saw anyone stupid enough to come for a nice walk around here."

Harry felt offended. He almost burst out of his hiding spot to yell that it was his godfather's fault if he was in this situation, but he managed to contain himself, and he kept listening quietly.

"That's not true. There's stuffs, around here.

-Stuffs, not people. And thank you to remained me why I'm feeling like pissing my pants.

-You're welcome.

-I seriously want to go home.

-Come on, that's getting old.

-Right. Well, what about..."

The footsteps both stopped at the same time. Harry thought for a terrifying second that he had been discovered, but he could hear worried whispers beside his tree.

"D'you heard that ? That was...shit. Don't tell me that it was... _shit._

-Yes. It most likely was... _them._

-What d'you reckon we should do ?

-Cowardly run away and take the risk to be killed when _he_ 'll learn that we abandoned our posts.

-Sounds good to me."

Harry wasn't sure about what was going on, but he felt slightly scandalised. He didn't know who were the two persons behind his tree, but obviously, they weren't too concerned about dignity and such things. But he didn't get the opportunity to ponder about them too much : there was suddenly a funny noise coming from the depth of the forest. Harry thought, quiet alarmed, that it sounded like Dudley groaning for more bacon on his pancakes during breakfast. It couldn't be a good thing.

"Come on. We gotta go.

-Yeah, let me just..."

Harry couldn't hold the somewhat high pitched scream that came out of his throat. The two guys had suddenly appear in front of him, and judging by their expression, they weren't too pleased to discover that some teenage boy was listening to their conversation hide behind a tree.

But Harry didn't care about that, because he felt has if he had just been slapped in the face by the giant squid.

"Zabini ! And...Nit ?

-Nott."

Blaise looked very pleased that a complete stranger had got his name correct and not Theodore's one, but it only lasted a second. He went from frowning to looking absolutely puzzled, and Theodore seemed equally lost – and, now, quiet offended.

But Harry was probably the most confused of them all. Maybe that it had something to do with his godfather being inhaled by a Veil, or maybe that it was all thanks to his two fellow schoolmates in front of him, who both looked about five years older than the persons he knew.

"What the hell are you doing here, kid ? Finally exclaimed Blaise with dismay. You do realise that you're...on the boundaries ?

-The boundaries ? Replied Harry without thinking. of what ?"

He felt as if he had to read a book and begin halfway through it. Of course, Harry was _used_ to feel lost as he was alarmingly often thrown into quiet delicates situations, but it didn't mean that he _enjoyed_ it.

"Do you live in a fucking tree-house or something ? Said Blaise who sounded more and more aghast. Don't you read the newspaper, once in a while ?

-Yes...no, quickly replied Harry, who had understood he had made a mistake. I can't...I can't read.

-What ? So you're walking around with those ugly glasses for the style ?

-That's...I can't see from afar !

-Shut up !"

Theodore was looking at them with a severe glare, and, at first, Harry didn't understand why. But then, he felt a sudden shiver go down his spine : he heard something. The groaning. It was much louder now, and Harry could tell that it sounded more like a death rattle than one of his cousin's complain for food.

"What's that noise ? He asked in a whisper.

-That's the sound of some serious shit coming after our asses, said Blaise."

He was admirably stern, as he said so, noticed Harry, and he was beginning to like the guy, which wasn't something that he could easily accept since he had always figured that he was an asshole just like Malefoy.

"They're here !"

It was the first time in his life that Harry had heard Nott scream, so he was already pretty stunned when he saw _them_. A few meters ahead, walking through the fog and the tall shadows of the trees. They were three, and Harry thought that it had to be the most awful creatures that he had ever witnessed. They were gaunt, with their exsanguinate skin as the only barrier to their skeletal body. Their eyes – only one of them had an actual pair – were rolling madly in their orbits, and the deep groans that they were making made them look like enraged animals, locked in a tiny cage for too long.

For the first time in his life, Harry didn't feel all that brave anymore. Finally, he didn't mind the idea of cowardly run away. And apparently, neither did Blaise and Theodore.

"Run ! And if you fall, I'm not going back to save your ass !"

* * *

"That was...That's _not_ possible ! A Veil can't have killed Harry fucking Potter !

-He's not dead, Ron ! He's just...not there right now.

-He was just inhaled by some sort of fucking portal ! What do you think happened to him ?

-Don't be so _pessimist_ all the time. He's going to come back, all right ? Because Harry doesn't just _die_ like that."

* * *

"Looks like everyone is alive. That's good."

Harry wasn't exactly feeling all that alive, but he didn't actually have enough oxygen in his lungs to confess it. He was not good at running – unless it was shorts distances, like the good old days when Dudley used to beat him with his friends – and he would probably never have made it, if there hadn't been a bunch of terrifying creatures chasing them.

Blaise and Theodore both looked surprisingly fine, and Harry was pretty sure that it wasn't the first time that they came across this kind of situation. They had guided him through the forest like if they knew the place by heart, and, finally, they had entered what looked like a vast field of ruin.

"What on hearth was _that_? Asked Harry when he was certain that he could speak without fainting.

-Those were Inferi, answered Theodore with a dark expression. They're nasty creatures, really, corpses controlled by a powerful mage through black magic. They always obey their master's orders."

The guy seemed disgusted, and Harry could understand why. He never heard about those creatures, and he was wondering if he ever read anything at all about them when he was suddenly cut in his reflexion.

"Who the hell are you, anyway ? Suddenly said Blaise, frowning. We saved your moron's ass, and you keep acting like if you just spent the last five years hiding in a fucking cave."

Harry had no good answer, mostly because he had no idea himself what he was doing here. He wished that Hermione could be there and tell him what to do, but, since it was not the case, he would have to actually use is brain.

"I'm...well. It's complicated.

-You know what would be less complicated ? Let the inferi out there feast on your flesh. Offer them a nice meal, you know. Not that there's lot of flesh on you, but I'm sure that you got the point.

-Right. Then I'll tell you the truth. I know that it's going to sound crazy and that you'll probably don't believe me, but I swear that I'm not lying."

So he told them. He told them all about who he was, the Veil and his godfather – he didn't precise that he was famous through Great Britain for being a particularly ruthless assassin, though -, and he did his very best to try to sound convincing.

At the end of his story, he couldn't tell if it worked : Blaise had now his eyebrows so raised that they were almost disappearing under his hair while Theodore was wearing an unreadable expression.

"So...slowly declared Theodore, you're Harry Potter."

Blaise gave him an incredulous look.

"That's the thing that you've got the most troubles to believe ? He said, incredulous. He's telling us that he comes from some sort of alternative universe, and that he crossed a fucking artefact locked in the most obscure depth of the ministry to come here, and...that's what you're questioning ?

-Yeah, because...his story _is_ possible, replied Theodore with a thoughtful expression. That's would mean that this Veil is some seriously powerful shit, though, but it's possible. Actually, that makes sense.

-Really ? Because I've got some troubles to see the connexion here.

-Potter can exist in this universe purely because he's, in fact, _dead_. However, if he was still alive here, he would have appeared in another place where he does not exist. Do you get it ?"

Harry felt like if Hermione was trying to explain him her Ancient Runes class. His poor brain could barely handle all those informations.

"Hold on, he said that I'm _dead_?"

Harry was really not all that surprised. In fact, he was more amazed by the fact that he was fifteen years old and still alive. But still, he was a bit concerned for his alternative self.

"Yeah, mate, answered Blaise with a nod. Since...well, it's been four years, I think. I don't exactly remember...no offence. But, hey, now that I'm thinking about it, you _do_ look like this good old Potter.

-You were murdered, added Theodore like if it was only a small detail. But I suppose that I don't need to tell you by who.

-Voldemort, answered Harry with a lump in his throat."

The situation was weird, to say the least. But Harry had heard worst, and judging by Blaise and Theodore lack of stronger reaction than slight surprise, they had too.

"So you believe me, said Harry with a dubious side glance. Just like that.

-Well, unless you found Potter's grave and put...I don't know, one of his rotten finger in your Polyjuice potion, then I don't think that you could be lying to us, answered Blaise."

He shrugged before adding, something like slight admiration in his voice :

"And if that's what you did, then let me tell you that I'm in awe before your commitment"

* * *

They had left what had to be the main hall and were now walking through a huge and tall corridor. Or maybe that it used to be, at least, because it was now reduced to a heap or ruins, the fallen brick wall like a huge window to the dismal and foggy forest.

"What happened ? Asked Harry, looking outside with a mixture of amazement and apprehension. I mean...the place where I come from...it pretty much sucks, right now. But I don't think that it can become _this_ bad in...what ? Four years ?"

Blaise and Theodore were both walking ahead of him. They exchanged an unreadable, yet indisputably dark side glance. Harry knew what it meant : they weren't going to tell him the truth. Not completely, at least.

"Things, said Theodore with pursed lips. You know...The Dark Lord...no one wanted to believe you when you told them that he was back. That's sad, you know, because after that, more things happened. Bad things. And while no one would just admit that _he_ was back, he got the idea to use them.

-Inferi, explained Blaise, shaking his head in disgust. He killed enough people to make an army. A _huge_ one. He took control over all Great Britain, you know. Not only the wizards, but muggles, too. Our job – the one that we were doing in the forest – is to make sure that no one with _bad intentions_ cross the boundaries of his new kingdom."

Harry was left speechless. He could hardly take all the informations in when Blaise added with the air of one speaking about the weather :

"His army of Inferi is his greatest pride. I mean, he has celebrities amongst them. This good old Cornelius Fudge, Viktor Krum – that's a real waste, I'm telling you – Sirius Black...

- _Sirius_ ? Choked Harry. He's...he's _dead_ ?

-What ? Yeah, since a pretty long time. But I'm not sure to know how...

-Nat, the thing...

-That's _Nott_ for you, asshole.

-Yeah, whatever. The stuffs that you said about me only existing in this universe because my other self is dead...that...that applies to other people, right ?"

Theodore stayed quiet. He was looking suspiciously at Harry.

"If you're question is "if Sirius Black had crossed this Veil, does that mean that he could still be alive ?" then the answer is yes. But I'm not sure to get why it's important _at all_ to you."

Harry couldn't exactly tell the truth. Apparently, no one ever revealed his godfather's innocence. Not in this universe, at least. Harry didn't know just how much Blaise and Theodore believed him, so revealing a governmental secret to them in his situation seemed a bit like giving Seamus a box of matches.

"It doesn't matter, decided to answer Harry with a wave of the hand. But I need to find him.

-Why the hell do you need to find Sirius Black ? Replied Blaise, seemingly lost. I mean...he's dead !

-I told you, it doesn't matter ! Now I just need you to tell me where I am...and maybe indicate me where's the nearest pub."

Blaise and Theodore exchanged a side glance before bursting in laughter. The sound was echoing through the corridor, and Harry felt like when he was at school with Dudley and his cousin smashed is head with a basketball. The laughter of all his classmates was not a pleasant memory.

"You're daydreaming, kid, said Theodore."

He had laughed so much he had tears in the corners of his eyes, and Harry meanly supposed that it was certainly not that hilarious : Theodore was probably just not used to laugh. But Blaise was not in a better shape, so his theory suddenly seemed a bit rickety.

"You haven't realised where you are ?

-What ? I should ?

-Since I'm guessing you already spent at least...four years in here, yeah, you should."

Harry felt his hair rose on his neck and his throat suddenly seemed dry. He had immediately guessed where he was. And he couldn't believe it. It _couldn't_ be Hogwarts. The place was in ruin, completely abandoned and miserable. There was not a painting or a carpet left to recognise the place.

"No one is allowed in here, explained Blaise. The dark Lord's order, naturally. But still, some people like to break the law and come light candles and shits to...how do they say that ? Honour the brave souls who fought for peace. Not that I get how a perfumed candle is going to help, but, hey, I don't judge.

-You see, things aren't great around here. So if you go outside and someone recognise you, you're dead. Again. It would sucks, wouldn't it ?"

Harry was feeling slightly overwhelmed. It began to be a lot, even for him. Suddenly, he had the terrible vision of a revolution happening in his world right now, and that when he would go back, it would be to find his universe just like this one.

"Listen...I don't care, said Harry, pinching the bridge of his nose. I just need to find Sirius, all right ? And then go back to where I _belong._

-We're listening, replied Blaise with a sly smile. We're just telling you it's a _terrible_ idea.

-I don't...I'm not telling it again. Come on, I always thought that you were assholes. Prove me wrong.

-I forgot that you weren't the brain of your little Gryffindor trio.

- _Please."_

Blaise rolled his eyes – excessively, noticed Harry a bit bitterly – before letting out a deep sigh. Theodore gave him a dark glance, like if he knew exactly what was going to happen next and didn't like it one bit.

"All right, said Blaise, ignoring superbly Theodore. But before I tell you anything, you're gonna have to change some...stuffs. Are you fine with that ?

-Uh...yeah, I guess so, answered Harry uncertainly.

-Great."

* * *

"I feel like if I just sent a lamb to slaughter.

-Don't be so pessimist. He'll be fine.

-That's what you said last time, and he was killed by an Avada Kedavra in the face.

-Why d'you care, anyway ? It's not like if he was going to save the world. It's a bit too late. For this one, at least."

* * *

"Hogsmeade. Right. Should have think about it."

Harry was heading for the small wizard's village, and the least that you could say was that he was feeling a bit uneasy. He hadn't guessed that "changing some stuffs" meant to make his hair look like a brown version of Dudley's hair and modify his glasses to have a square shape. Yet here he was, walking around the vestige of Hogwarts and feeling like if a much skinnier and nerdy version of his cousin.

But Harry did not focus too much on it. He had other things than his look on mind, really : as he was looking around him, he could now tell that some things _did_ seemed familiar. The lake was there, and he recognised that the forest he went through to escape the Inferi was the forbidden forest. But It seemed way bigger than the one he knew – it seemed that the forest would soon completely swallow Hogwart's ruin -, and Hagrid's house was not there. Unless you knew that it had existed, you couldn't have been able to guess something once was there.

"Well that sucks. I had no idea that not listening to me could cause that much damage."

As he was walking, Harry absently thought about a plan : he had to find Sirius and bring him back to the Veil. He didn't know how it worked, but he hoped that if he crossed the thing again, they would go back to where they came from. If it didn't work...well. Harry wasn't too concerned about that. It wouldn't be the first time that one of his plan failed.

As he was pondering all those things to himself, he walked pretty carelessly. It turned out to be a huge mistake.

"What the hell !"

He yelled when something tried to grab his shoulder. He jumped back, his heart racing, and screamed a second time when he saw what was the thing : an Inferius, and a rather hungry-looking one. The creature was groaning menacingly at Harry, and he thought that it didn't need to do that to scare him shitless.

He took out his wand, ready to fight. Admittedly, he was not too confident in his survival rate.

"Impedimenta ! He tried, quiet distraught."

The spell did nothing, expect stop the Inferius for a good three seconds. He groaned even louder and was looking at Harry with his mad eyes as he began to walk over to him. Harry tried all the spells that came to his mind – even the jelly fingers curse – but none worked. It seemed that killing something already dead was not as easy as one could have imagined.

As Harry was walking backwards – not running away, merely proceeding to a strategic withdrawal -, he almost tripped over a large trunk. He looked at his wand, then at the piece of wood at his foot, and after a second of hesitation, he picked up the trunk.

Maybe that the Inferius understood Harry's process of thinking, because it suddenly began to run, it's arms swinging wildly at it's sides. But it was too late : Harry let out some sort of battle cry when he hit the head of the Inferius with all of his strength. It made an horrible squashing sound, and you could hear the skull snap under the impact.

Harry was left breathless, awkwardly holding his trunk and some sort of black, blood-like liquid all over his clothes. But alive. He wasn't certain that it was something to be grateful for anymore.

* * *

When he reached Hogsmeade, Harry was still a bit shaken by his encounter with the Inferius. This time, he took great care not to lower his guard all the way to the small village, but it turned to be useless. Nothing attacked him, but there was still the heavy weight of apprehension in his guts : he didn't dare to picture what Hogsmeade could be looking like. Was it in ruin, just like Hogwarts ? Or worse, maybe ? Was the village still _there_ at all ? Harry soon got all the answers to his anxious interrogations, and it turned out not to be what he had expected.

The streets of the village were all intact. The shops stood at the exact same spot they had always been, and, so, Harry immediately saw Flourish and Blotts and Quality Quidditch Supplies. He thought that he should have felt relieved, but there was something eerie in the atmosphere : none of the shops looked quiet as welcoming as in his memory. There still was a white fog all over the place, like summer haze on a hot lazy day, but it was definitely not the only disturbing thing in the air.

As he walked through the street, Harry noticed that a few more shops had blossomed between two buildings, and the beautiful clean facades seemed oddly out of place.

"Hey, watch where you're walking, dickhead !"

Harry was almost thrown on the ground, as he bumped into someone's shoulder. A bunch of paper fell on the pavement, and Harry hurried to pick them up, but the other person grabbed them before he could even move his arm.

"I'm really sorry, mumbled Harry.

-Yeah, you better be."

Harry had not meant a word of his apologies, since the guy could have watched where he was going as well, and he didn't understand how a man alone could be so rude and unpleasant. That was until he looked up, of course : he thought for a second that the guy's face – blond hair, a upturned nose in the middle of an emaciated face – looked oddly familiar. And, then, he remembered.

"I take it back, quickly said Harry. I'm not sorry."

It was Zacharias Smith. Harry couldn't believe he hadn't recognised his annoying voice sooner.

"What was that for, dickhead ? Replied Zacharias, sounding more surprised than angry. That was not...Ah, shit. I don't have time to lecture you about being nice to people. Too bad, my job is waiting for me."

The guy gave him a small nod, and then walked away – he was almost running, his papers under his arm –, leaving Harry incredulous. He shouldn't have been surprised, after Blaise and Theodore, but it still was a really weird experience, to randomly meet the future self of his classmates.

Nonetheless, Harry didn't ponder about it too much. He began to walk when something caught his attention. It was a little shop between Amanuensis Quills and Potage's Cauldron Shop. It was nothing extraordinary, really : the facade looked as old and dirty as the other shops, but Harry was fairly sure that he had never seen the building before. Beside, it appeared like the inside was ridiculously tiny. But, even if Harry couldn't exactly say _what_ , there was something irremediably attractive in the deep blue colour of the facade.

Harry bitted his lips. Of course, he really wanted to move forward : if Sirius was alive, Harry didn't doubt that his godfather was currently enjoying a drink at the Three Broomsticks. But his curiosity was definitely tickled, and, well, he wouldn't have jumped through the Veil in the first place if making good decision was his best quality.

"Hello ?"

Harry had entered the shop with apprehension, and the light sound of the bell hung over the door was definitely not enough to make him feel more comfortable. He felt incredibly dumb : there was no one in here. He was purely losing some precious time that he could have used to search for Sirius.

"Welcome. Please make yourself comfortable."

The room was suddenly illuminated by dozen of candles hung on the walls. Harry blinked a few times, disoriented. But, soon, he was able to say that he was standing in a quiet large room, way more spacious than you would have guessed from the outside. It was not what was really monopolising Harry's attention, thought. What was _truly_ impressive were the paintings. They were all over the room : canvas of all sizes, all colourful and made with various techniques, portraits, landscapes, abstracts paintings...They were everywhere, and they were actually good.

From what Harry could say, at least, and he had to admit that the Dursley didn't have the habit to bring him to fancy art exhibition.

Nonetheless, he was in amazement in front of all the works, wondering if he could buy one to bring back with him – it was perfectly useless, but he had just seen a beautiful portrait of a woman who remained him strangely of Ginny – when he saw a tall silhouette standing in the back of the shop. Suddenly, the paintings didn't seem all that interesting anymore.

"What the fuck, mumbled Dean when he saw Harry.

-What ? he replied, not sure to know if it was a normal greeting or not.

-You're Harry _fucking_ Potter !

-No I'm not. I don't...I have no idea what you're talking about.

-Come on, don't play fucking dumb with me. I spent six years of my life seeing your ugly mug everyday, it's not a damn brown wing and square glasses that are going to foul me."

Harry was slightly incredulous. Not really because Dean had recognised him, though, since Blaise had done a pretty poor job on his disguise. But he had spent so much time of his school life mostly trying to stay alive until the end of each year - and avoid plots to get him killed at each end of said year - that he had forgot about normal things such as classmates.

But it seemed that they hadn't forgotten about him.

"You were less vulgar in my memory, said Harry, a bit distraught.

-Well you didn't look like a carpet in mine. You were more of a scrubbing brush kind of person.

-I had to change a few things, for...you know. Not get recognised.

-It worked out wonderfully.

-Right. Well, I just saw Smith. Zacharias, you know ? _He_ didn't recognised me."

Dean's face went from incredulous, yet delighted, to absolutely horrified. He moved closer to Harry, looking around with a crisped expression, and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Smith ? He whispered anxiously. And you're certain about what you're telling me ? He didn't say anything weird that could...that could let you know that he guessed who you are ?

-Our whole conversation was weird, answered Harry, frowning. But I'm pretty sure that it had nothing to do with me. Why does that matter so much ?"

Harry hadn't realise just how miserable looked Dean, until now. His tall silhouette – Harry had forgotten just how _gigantic_ was the guy – was lightly leaned forward, as if he was tired to carry his own weight. His eyes were dug in their orbits and there was large purples dark circles under his eyes.

"Smith has become a journalist, said Dean after a quiet long hesitation. He always dreamed to do that, you know ?

-Well, that's...that's great for him.

-Yeah. Not for us. He works for the Daily Prophet. Since you-know-who took the power, it has become a real fountain of bullshit. All that they do, those days, is write about Volde...you-know-who _greatness_. The only purpose of this piece of crap that they call a newspaper is propaganda.

-What ? Smith _works_ for them ? _Voluntarily_ ?

-I don't know about that. But the point is...if he recognised you...even with your little wig, I would suggest you to find a way back to your...Wait. Where the hell do you come from, anyway ?"

* * *

" _Cheer up, the worst is yet to come."_

― _Anne Sullivan Macy_

* * *

 **At first I wanted to make it a one-shot, but then...well, I supposed that it would be a bit too long. Not everyone wants to read 17 pages at once, I guess. So I separated it in two, which means that the second part is done and waiting to be posted.**


	2. Chapter 2

_"Everything happens to everybody sooner or later if there is time enough."_

 _-_ George Bernard Shaw

* * *

When Harry finished to tell Dean his whole story, the street outside was plunged into an ink black darkness. There was not a single candle lighted outside, and the noise of the wind howling through the walls of the closely-built shops was not helping to make the atmosphere less disturbing.

"That makes sense, declared Dean after a long, seemingly thoughtful reflexion.

-Does it ? Said Harry, a bit doubtful."

He couldn't affirm that _he_ would have believed someone who would have told him such a story. But he wasn't going to complain, if Dean was prompt to believe him just like Blaise and Theodore did.

"I mean, I don't see how else you could be here, in front of me, well and alive, explained Dean. Beside, I don't really understand why the hell you would come here of all place if you were the Harry that I know.

-What do you mean ?

-Hogsmeade has become a pretty shitty place. You-know-who hasn't destroyed it purely because he wants to let people think that they have...some sort of freedom, I guess. We would all go mad, if we were just condemned to stay inside, with no where to go, waiting for a death-eater to come knock on our door.

-And...that's your shop ? You _made_ all those paintings ?"

Dean gave Harry some sort of modest smile, failing to hide the hint of proudness in his eyes.

"Yeah. I always loved to paint. And draw. And..well, I've always been the artist kind. But forget about the it ; I'm more concerned about you, right now.

-Why ?

-You told me that you were looking for your godfather, right ? Well, let me tell you that if he's wandering around Hogsmeade, I can't assure you that he's still alive at the very moment that we're speaking. It's not the quiet village that you used to know anymore. There's lots of death-eaters around here, and they don't hesitate to...arrest whoever seems suspicious. "

Harry wouldn't say that Sirius looked particularly suspicious, but his godfather certainly wasn't the type to quietly fit in. Beside, people couldn't have completely forgotten about the famous Sirius Black, not in four years. If they saw him perfectly healthily drinking firewhisky, they would probably understand that something was wrong.

Maybe that Dean saw how upset his statement made Harry, or maybe that he was purely bored now that his shop was closed for the day, but he smiled widely before proposing :

"It's not that creepy anymore when you know the place. We can come along, if you want.

-We ? Who's we ?

-Is that a yes or a no ?

-What ? Uh...a yes, I guess.

-Fantastic."

Then, to Harry's confusion, Dean cleared his throat. He turned his head in the direction of the staircase and yelled :

"Seamus ! You'll never guess who's standing on my carpet !"

* * *

Seamus turned out not to be too curious about Harry's presence. He immediately recognised him - just like Dean - and made a delighted noise when he saw him. He was so glad to see Harry that he forgot to question him on his presence, and Harry wondered if the guy even remembered that he was supposed to be dead. But Dean made sure to tell him all of Harry's story, though, before proposing him to come along with them for their little walk around Hogsmeade. Naturally, Seamus agreed, way more eager than Harry to go outside into night and the cold wind.

Now, Harry couldn't hide that he was rather curious about what was Seamus doing in Dean's attic. He decided to ask – more subtly, though - while they were quietly walking down the street, the cold wind bitting their exposed faces.

"That's not an _attic,_ replied Dean, sounding like if Harry had just insulted his whole 's my house. Beside, I'm sorry to tell you that, Harry, but you're quiet the blind type.

-What do you mean ? Asked Harry without realising how silly was his question.

-Look at you ! Exclaimed Seamus after a small chuckle. All pure and innocent...Maybe that you want me to spell it out for ya ?"

Harry let out a small "Oh" when he finally understood. He was wondering how the hell he could have missed two of his roommates dating right under his nose when an enthusiastic exclamation cut his thoughts.

"Here we are, exclaimed Seamus when they finally reached an illuminated part of the street. The Three Boomsticks, just like you wanted."

Harry felt like if he had finally reached the holy Graal. It didn't look like it, though : the wooden walls of the pub seemed awfully damaged, with burns marks and cuts all over it. There was nothing welcoming about the place anymore, and Harry didn't dare to think about what could have become Rosmerta, the owner of the pub.

"I know, said Dean. It looks like shit. Since it's one of the only pub still open around here, that's where everyone gather. Even Death-eaters...Naturally, that's not the great place where you could come drink your butterbeer anymore."

Harry was going to say that he could indeed see that when he suddenly heard a faint rumour from the street that they just came from. Since there was no groaning, Harry felt relatively safe. Which quickly turned out to be a pretty stupid way of thinking.

"I could probably try to throw a random spell at their faces and hope that it turns out to set them on fire.

-Yeah...no. It could work, thought. But let's call it plan E, all right ? I personally propose that we go hide beside this...little bush right here. And, uh...pray.

-What ?"

Harry had, like often, no idea about what was going on. But he was pretty sure that hiding beside a bush was rarely a good plan, so Dean's strategy definitely didn't sound too great. He decided to keep his questions for later, though, when Dean and Seamus practically jumped beside the small heap of bushes stuck between two buildings.

They appeared when Harry's head disappeared behind the leaves. It was death-eaters. Harry recognised them without problem : they were all wearing their mask and long black robe, laughing between them and surely making much more noise than necessary.

"Smith said that he saw him around here, affirmed one of the death-eater.

-I don't know. His story did seem a bit rickety.

-Yeah, or you could say that it was complete bullshit. How on hearth could Potter still be alive ?

-Well, he did survived one Avada-Kedavra.

-Come on. The kid had to die at some point."

Their conversation was going on and on. It was mostly just shit talking about Smith – Harry learned that he had some issues with firewhiskey, and that his lack of girlfriend was definitely making people wonder if he was really straight as a pole like he pretended – and complaints about how stupid this investigation was. Without being aware that they were being overheard, they sounded pretty inoffensive.

But Harry didn't doubt that if they found him, they would not hesitate to tear off both of his legs, if it meant to bring him to Voldemort more easily.

"Let's check around the place. He's gotta be hiding somewhere.

-Yeah, we would have intercepted him, if he had left Hogsmeade."

It seemed that they all agreed, because they then scattered, each small group taking a different direction. When he was certain that there wasn't a death-eater left to hear him, Dean gave Harry an hostile glance.

"What did you say, already ? He whispered angrily. Smith didn't recognise you, right ?

-Come on, that's not my fault ! Replied Harry a bit louder that he should have. How could I know ? Smith acted...well, normal !

-I don't think that we should spend our time like that, declared Seamus frowning. Fighting behind a bush while there's a bunch of masked assholes searching Potter's ass and all."

Harry didn't know about Dean, but he personally suddenly felt pretty stupid. Maybe that Dean felt the same way, because he gave Harry an awkward and somewhat apologetic side glance.

"I'm freezing, declared Harry, mostly to say something."

He wasn't good at handling uncomfortable silence, and he felt like if it was exactly what was coming.

"Right, answered Dean after clearing his throat. Well...we can't really go home. They're gonna check every shop, I bet.

-So what ? We sleep there ?"

Dean seemed to consider the option for a second, but Seamus was quicker than him to answer.

"No way. We've got to move. I'm not about to sleep outside when there's... _them_ lurkingaround here.

-The...the Inferi ?

-Yeah. You met some already ?

-I did. That was not a fantastic experience."

Dean cut them short with an impatient wave of the hand.

"We can speak about our personals experiences with Inferi later. For the moment, we've got to find a place where to hide. Any suggestion ?

-The leaky cauldron ? Proposed Harry with a doubtful expression.

-That's a real death-eaters nest, replied Dean frowning. No way.

-What about Hogwarts ? Said Seamus with a thoughtful expression. Like the good old times...before it was destroyed and our life reduced to hell, I mean.

-Well, I guess that it's the best option we've got for the moment. Let's go."

* * *

They managed to sneak past the death-eaters searching around the village pretty easily : Dean and Seamus both disappeared with a disillusionment charm before using it on Harry, who didn't know yet how to cast it.

The hard part, really, was walking in the wind and the cold. Harry was pretty sure that it was only an impression, but he felt as if the fog that he saw earlier was still there, thicker, and that he could feel it on his skin. In this world, the monsters that were created by the shadows of the night seemed to be alive.

"Thank you for helping me, suddenly said Harry. It means a lot.

-That's a pleasure, replied Seamus through clenched teeth. Really.

-Don't complain too much, at least there isn't any Inferius in sight, mumbled Dean, who didn't look much happier that Seamus to be there.

-Why...why did you say that ? Now I fucking bet that a bunch of those nasty bastards are gonna appear to feast on our flesh. See, it's like spiders. You even think about how lucky you are that there isn't any of those disgusting little fucker in your room, and boum. There's one right on your bed."

Dean rolled his eyes, but Harry agreed with Seamus. About both the Inferi and the spiders. Since Dean already looked on the verge of just give up and go back behind his bush to sleep, he didn't dare to say it out loud, though.

"What the hell was that ?"

Seamus had stopped to walk. As he was glancing around him with an alarmed look, Dean stopped as well and, with an heavy sigh, he put his large hand on Seamus's shoulder.

"That was Inferi, right ? He said, sounding more tired than scared.

-Of course, replied Seamus, glaring darkly at Dean. Remember what I told ya about spiders ? But of course, you never listen to me ! That's just like the facade's colour !

-What ?"

Harry had the sensation that it was the only word that he had used, since he crossed the Veil. The fact that people usually didn't answer to his questions wasn't helping him much.

Suddenly, he heard it as well : the death-rattles seemed to come from all around them. Harry hoped that it was only because of the wind, though. He had no idea about if it was possible that they truly were surrounded, and this time, he didn't intend to ask.

He was so lost in his worried thoughts that he didn't immediately notice that Dean and Seamus had began to run. He dashed after them, the darker figures of his dorm-mates ahead of him his only point of repair.

"For fuck's sake, he mumbled when he understood that they had the intention to go through the forbidden forest."

Running through a forest in the middle of the night turned out to be far from a pleasant experience. Multiple branches slapped Harry's face, and he noticed that Dean got his lot as well. But Seamus, short as he was, didn't got hit once. Harry didn't know if it really was something enviable.

He was going to ask if they were purely running like a bunch of headless chickens or if there really was something chasing after them, when an inferius jumped from behind a tree and landed right on him : it was definitely one of the worst experience of his short life. As he was trying to hold the creature away by it's shoulders, it was snapping at his face, and despite the inferius disgustingly skinny figure, his weight was beginning to be too much for Harry.

"You fucker !"

Dean yelled before hitting the creature's face with a large piece of wood, just like Harry did a few hours ago. The inferius fell to Harry's side, and he hastily got up : he could hear more of the creatures groaning around them, but the darkness made it impossible to tell exactly where they were. It was making the whole situation even more confusing.

"My god ! This fucking scrawny asshole bit me !"

Harry could tell that it had been Seamus yelling. He glanced frenetically around him, trying to find his dorm-mate, but the only thing that he saw was the puny silhouette of the Inferius Dean just hit. The creature was beginning to regain it's senses, and Harry did the first thing that came to his mind : he kicked it's head. He wasn't sure that he was aiming correctly, but what he was certain about was that beating the hell out of somebody was highly therapeutic, when you were frustrated.

"Come on ! Exclaimed Dean, grabbing Harry's arm. We don't have time for this shit ! Let's get our asses out of here !"

* * *

"You've got...a bit of Inferius brain on your left shoe."

Harry did not ask how Seamus knew what the black, dripping and viscous-looking thing on his shoe was. He could guess the answer on his own, and beside, he was pretty sure that it was on the "rude" side of questions to ask.

"Thank you, he said, rubbing his left foot on the carpet. I, uh...I guess that I tripped on one of those creature when we ran away.

-Sure, replied Dean with a glance. Whatever you say."

But he was obviously not too concerned about Harry's shoe. He had all his attention on Seamus's wound, a nasty looking bit on his arm.

"Is that like...a zombie bit ? Asked Harry, worried.

-A what ? Replied Seamus with wide eyes. What the fuck are you talking about ?

-We're not in a movie, assured Dean, shaking his head. The worst that could happen is that the wound become infected and, _then_ , that he indeed die and become an inferius.

-Oh. So, nothing too bad, declared Harry frowning."

Seamus gave a dark glance at Harry and Dean, obviously frustrated to not have understand a word about their conversation. But, then, he made an annoyed sound.

"That shit hurt, he complained. That's all your fault, Dean. You should have listened to me about the facade. Green would have looked way better.

-Is he...is he delirious ? Inquired Harry, a bit concerned.

-No, just bitter. Anyway...if you do that again, Seamus, I'm gonna have to let you die behind me next time.

-Fuck off. Go tell that to the dickhead who ripped off half of my arm."

Harry couldn't find the dispute to be one of those kind of cute quarrel of couple, because he didn't know if Dean was joking or not. He had the feeling that now was the good time to leave, before the argument could have the time to become too passionate. He didn't want to end up having to chose a side in their dispute.

"I'm going...walking around. In the park, you know.

-And you never let me cook ! That's _clearly_ the fucking display of a lack of trust.

-You wanted to make a lamb shank ! Who the hell does that ?

-Irish people, you uncultured swine !

-Yeah well, Irish people should probably take a look at a little lamb running in a field before cutting it's legs off and cook it !"

Harry was now certain that it was the right time to leave. As he was walking through the same corridor where he spoke with Blaise and Theodore this morning, he had the sensation that a whole week had passed. But he had only been here for...well, two days, now that the sun was slowly rising behind the forbidden forest. The sky was of a deep purple, and the fog was there again.

"What a depressing place, Harry thought as he was stepping outside. I hope that no one fucked up anything while I wasn't there."

That was definitely not something that he could say for sure.

Suddenly, it began to rain : Harry pondered to himself, Why should everything just sucks so much for me all the time ? That wasn't something that he could tell neither. He was overwhelmed by the thought that maybe there was nothing to do at all. Maybe that this life would soon become his and there was, in fact, not a thing that he could do to make people listen to him.

Time, he thought, time is a tricky thing. He could tell because he had already gone in the past. He found that the future was way less amusing, because he couldn't _fix_ anything. Just watch the result of a pile of poorly made decisions fall and create a terrible chaos.

"I was certain that I saw more Wrackspurts than usual around here. And...oh, you changed your hair. I liked them better before."

Harry knew who had spoken before he rose his head. Luna hadn't changed much, in five years : she still wasn't very tall, her hair were still the same dirty blond colour, and Harry noted quiet distraught that her eyebrows were still as pale.

"I really can't hide you anything, can I ? he said, a smile that he hadn't planned blossoming on his face.

-Oh, well. Not most things...I don't know the colour of your underwear, for example...

-The opposite would be a bit, uh... _disturbing_.

-...but I'm betting on red."

Harry had a sudden wave of tenderness for Luna, and it had nothing to do with the fact that she guessed right. He couldn't exactly define how he felt about her, but he supposed that if he had to explain it, he'd say that she was the sister he never had.

"What are you doing here ? Asked Harry, frowning. I thought that this place was sort of...forbidden, now.

-It's funny, replied Luna with her distant, dreamy voice, because I could ask you the same thing.

-I'm just...looking for something. Doesn't matter. But what about _you_?"

Luna tilted her head, and, with her big protruding eyes, she remained Harry of an owl. She wasn't exactly smiling, but she didn't seem sad neither. In fact, it looked like she was pondering about something not quiet pleasant but, somehow, a bit funny.

"You don't know ? Inquired Luna quietly. So you must not _really_ be Harry. Not the one that I...knew.

-Yes, no...Well, I'm _an_ Harry. Doesn't matter if I'm from the future or the past. Now, tell me...what _should_ I know ?

-Ron and Hermione are dead. Oh, of course, they're not the only one...There's Neville, too. And many other people, but I don't think that hearing about every single death would be a pleasant experience. Beside, I don't really have the time...I came here to have a chat with them. Of course, they don't answer. But I'd feel guilty, if they can see us and I never come say hello."

Luna had told all her story without taking a breath, and she was now looking at Harry with her big eyes, her expression just as distant as ever. The way she was staring at him remained Harry of the look Dudley would give him, when he purposely made him stumble and he was waiting for his cousin's reaction.

"That's not really surprising, confessed Harry after a moment of silence. I guessed that since...since I came here, I guess. This place, it's like...my worst nightmare becoming true.

-It is, admitted Luna. Now...what are you looking for ? Maybe that I can help you.

-Doubt it. It's not a very common thing.

-Really ? Well...I'll give an advice, then. When I lose something, I always search for it in the very first place I remember seeing it. It may seem like it'll never work, sometimes...but it usually does."

Luna gave Harry one of her whimsical smile, and, with a last wave of the hand, she walked over the entrance of Hogwarts.

"Should have asked her if her advice works for godfather, too, bitterly thought Harry. Anyway...I bet that he's long dead. Or maybe that he's still at The Three Broomsticks ? Well, if that's the case, he's got caught by a bunch of death-eaters, so I guess that I can safely assume he's dead either way."

With a great sigh, Harry began to wander around Hogwarts. He was drowning in depressing thoughts : in a corner of his head, there was his uncle joyful expression when he'll learn that his nephew is stuck in some sort of parallel universe because of a Veil.

Harry had walked for some time, now, and he was just beginning to assume that going back to Dean and Seamus would be safe, when he realised where he was.

The Whomping Willow.

"Of course, mumbled Harry. _The very first place_."

* * *

The passage had an eerie atmosphere. Harry couldn't tell why he found the place creepier at this moment than he had two years ago, but it was the way he felt. He supposed that his thirteen years old self had even less survival instinct than he had now. Or maybe that he was just stupider.

"Sirius ?"

The floor creaked under Harry's foot, and he could hear the wind howling outside, but the rest of the shrieking shack was completely silent. He hesitated before trying again.

"Sirius ? Are you...are you here or am I just yelling like a fucking moron ?"

Harry had finally reached the room where he had meet his godfather for the first time. It was still as dirty as before, with dust floating all over the place, but Harry had a strangely pleasant feeling, when he walked in.

"Would ya look at that ! If that's not my godson...then that's someone who looks an hell of a lot like him."

Sirius was lying on the bed where Ron had been agonising two years ago, and he was obviously not feeling too sentimental about it. He had a bottle of half filled Firewhisky in one hand, and a pint of butterbeer in the other.

"What ? Mumbled Harry, distraught to say the least. Where you...where you here the whole _fucking_ time ?

-Me ? Asked Sirius, frowning painfully. No, no...Where could I have gotten all those things ?"

He rose his drinks in Harry's direction, beaming, and nearly half of the Butterbeer fell on the floor.

"So _where_ have you been ?

-Uh...You know...I didn't understand what the hell happened, when I went through this...weird Veil. But then, before I know it, I fall on the grass. Ya follow me ? On grass ! That was fantastic. And then...there's those weird looking shits that come out of nowhere and they try to eat me. I escaped those stinky bastards and that was like...fucking great. Because I'm always locked up in my stupid, ugly, family's house, and that's, like, less great.

-And...and what did you do, after that ?

-Well I went for a drink ! What else, uh ? I mean, Molly never even let me _look_ at a bottle of Vodka. She says that there's children around and I need to show them the right example...Well I mean she's not wrong, but since I'm a notorious murdered who did twelve years in Azkaban, I supposed that I didn't really count. After that...I went to The Three Broomsticks. That was really fun, until a bunch of hooded assholes came in and ruined the ambiance. I gotta say, I ran away with my Firewhisky and my Butterbeer when they began to randomly throw Avada Kedavra. And finally..."

Sirius opened his arms, a sort of proud air on his drunk-looking face.

"...I'm here because I figured that I needed some place safe to finish my drinks and deal peacefully with my future hangover."

Sirius was stuttering on almost each word, and it made it kind of difficult for Harry to follow his speech. But he was glad, in a way : apart from that, his godfather _did_ seemed perfectly fine and pretty cheerful. But still. He had thought Sirius in some serious trouble all along.

"That's fantastic, said Harry a bit awkwardly. Looks like you had a fun day.

-Yeah, confirmed Sirius with a wide smile. T'was the greatest time that I had in a while."

In Harry's opinion, it was a question of perspective. He supposed that not everyone lived being nearly eaten by some sort of creature of the Devil the same way.

"If you say so. Anyway...we gotta go. There's people looking for me around the place, and if we want to go before they think about coming here, we should start moving our asses now.

-What ? What the hell did ya do to them ? Were they offended by your hairdo ?

-I think...I think that it has more something to do with me being alive.

-Oh. Right. The chosen one and all...'forgot about that. My bad.

-How many drinks did you have ?

-Come on, Harry. Give a man a break. I don't have enough fingers to count."

It made Harry slightly worried : he wouldn't be able to carry Sirius, and there was no way that he spend one more day in this place.

"I'm sorry, Sirius, but we _really_ need to move, urged Harry. I'm pretty sure that if we go back through the Veil, we should come back to our own world."

But Sirius was frowning. Harry immediately guessed that a drunk man trying to think couldn't be good. His godfather carefully put his drinks down on the nightstand next to the bed, and, with a great effort, he stood up. He was staggering, but, to Harry's distress, looked determined.

"Look, Harry...I know that what I'm going to say might hurt you a bit...

-Sirius, don't be a fucking idiot.

-...but I've made my decision the moment those stinky bastards chased me.

-You're drunk, Sirius.

-I'm...I'm gonna stay here. All right ? I'm staying.

-Are you _fucking_ serious ?

-Well I wish I could."

Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes : he was tired. All that he wanted was going home and act like all this nonsense never happened, but obviously, his godfather was not going to cooperate.

But still. There was this strange sparkle in Sirius's eyes that Harry couldn't help but notice. He never saw it before, because, he guessed, his godfather had never been nothing but miserable since he got out of Azkaban. He knew, deep down, that there wasn't much to say to make Sirius change his mind.

"I'll miss you, if you stay, tempted Harry.

-I know, replied Sirius. And so will I."

For a second, he looked sober as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over his head. For a second, though. He then staggered to Harry before awkwardly putting a hand on his shoulder.

"That's for the best, Harry. I'm not...The life that I'm living in square Grimmauld...well, it's not a life. I mean, you've gotta understand me, Harry. Peter...your father...things just don't feel the same anymore. But here ? Here, it's completely different ! I'm living again. My life is _interesting._

 _-_ Yeah, and everybody is fucking dead.

-There's got to be a down-side to everything, Harry. Beside...if this Veil thingy work, I can still come back, right ?

-Right."

Harry thought that the down-sides to his life always seemed to be heavier on the balance than the advantages.

When he went back to the castle, there was nobody left. Obviously, Dean and Seamus had been tired to wait for Harry to come back. Or maybe that they had just guessed that he wouldn't come back. Luna was nowhere to be seen neither, and Harry was glad about it : for some reasons, saying goodbye to her would have feel as painful as saying goodbye to Sirius.

"Isn't that fucking fantastic. I don't even know how to reach the entrance of the damn ministry.

-It's all right, Potter. You don't need to worry about it."

Harry had supposed that he had come full circle when Blaise and Theodore had appeared from what was left of the huge front door of Hogwarts. They hadn't spoke much : they had just told him that they would have to walk a little, and, after they were a couple minutes away from the castle, Blaise had put his hand on Harry's shoulder. He was smiling.

"I knew you wouldn't die. But it's a shame that you're going back empty handed.

-It is. But I guess that some things just can't be helped."

Blaise had laughed and, the second after, they were gone.

* * *

They passed the guards posted in the ministry just like Harry had sneaked past the death-eaters with Dean and Seamus. Harry had nothing to do, apart from observe the place, and he found it to be even more gloomy than it used to be. There was guards everywhere, and the only sound was from the people hurriedly walking from a door to another, and the tickling of a huge clock on the wall.

"You didn't catch him yet ? You didn't catch Potter ?"

Harry immediately recognised Smith's voice. He was surprised to hear that he sounded more distressed than angry, but Blaise and Theodore were walking so fast that he didn't got the time to hear more. He supposed that the guy wasn't all that evil. Maybe that he was just doing what he had to do in order to stay alive. Maybe.

Soon, they were in the elevator. It was full of people, so Theodore pushed Harry in a corner where he immediately began to suffocate. He didn't dare to make a noise, though.

"You heard about it ? Smith pretend that he saw Potter. The guy has drunk too much Firewhisky, I tell you. The poor guy fucking lost it."

Harry was half surprised when he heard Malefoy's voice : after all, it was obviously not his day.

"Yeah. It's been, what ? Five years now ? He should get over it."

Blaise lies were far more convincing than any of Harry's, and he was grateful for that.

"Anyway...what kind of business d'you got in here ?

-Nothing too interesting...I just wanted to show Blaise this...Veil in the Department of Mysteries. He said he never saw it.

-What ? This old thing ? Uh, there's nothing interesting about it."

Neither Blaise nor Theodore had to answer, because the elevator's door suddenly opened and Draco got out – like most people – with a vague wave of the hand.

The rest of their trip to the Department of Mysteries went without any trouble. There was no one, apart from them, and by the time they had reached the Death Chamber, Harry was visible again. He stood in front of the Veil torn apart between being impatient or really bitter.

Of course, he was still alive, and it was already something. But his trip had been useless : Sirius wasn't coming back with him.

"You know, Potter, it's one thing to go back in time. But the future...well. Even with all the best intentions in the world, there's some stuffs that were just meant to be."

Harry never imagined that Nott would be comforting him one day. But it was happening, and it was working : he supposed that the guy was right. Maybe that Sirius was never supposed to come back. Maybe that his world was meant to collapse. Maybe, but, Oh god, he hoped not.

"I guess that it's where we do our farewells, said Blaise with a solemn air.

-Yeah. I guess so.

-I hope for ya that your thing is going to work and you're gonna end up in your own universe.

-Well, I hope too."

Harry felt a strange weight on his chest, when he said them goodbye. He hoped that he was not going to miss them.

* * *

It was like being ejected from a water slide. Harry fell painfully on the ground, and he barely heard the cheerful shouts all around him.

"Harry ! It's Harry !"

He barely got the time to sits up that there was a pair of arm thrown around his neck. If he had to judge from the mass of curly brown hair, he would have say that it was Hermione crying on his shoulder.

"It's all right, Hermione, tempted Harry, patting her back awkwardly. I'm okay.

-You...Shut up ! She exclaimed, her voice a bit more high-pitched than usual. We were...we were _so_ worried about you. We thought you were...

-Dead, said Ron, more solemn than Harry had ever seen him. Well, _they_ thought, at least. I knew that Harry Potter wasn't going to die because of some old Veil.

-I was sure you'd come back, confirmed Ginny with a relieved smile."

Everyone was looking at him, speaking all at once, and Harry lived all of it like if he was behind a glass wall : he could see the scene, see people move their lips, but he couldn't hear a thing. He supposed that it was the shock of realising he had made it. He was home.

But maybe that it was something else entirely. Maybe that it had something to do with his godfather not being here.

"You stayed here all this time ? Finally inquired Harry.

-Well it's not been thatlong, answered Hermione who had let go of Harry and was siting next to him, trembling a little.

-Two hours, affirmed Ginny. We were debating about whether or not someone should go after you."

Harry didn't have too much trouble to accept the fact that his two days of research to find his godfather were, for them, nothing more than two hours full of anguish. It certainly wasn't the craziest thing that happened to him lately.

"What the hell happened ? Asked Ron. What about Sirius ?"

It was obviously the question that everybody had wanted to ask without daring. For once, Hermione seemed glad for Ron complete lack of capacity to read the atmosphere.

But Harry didn't know what to say. He could have told the truth, naturally. He could have, but it just didn't sound right. For some reasons, he felt like if all that he heard and saw wasn't meant to be know : he couldn't explain the sentiment of jealousy in his guts at the idea of revealing any of the things that happened.

"I don't know, said Harry. I can't remember. It's like...it's like if I went to sleep and I wake up right now."

He wasn't as good as Blaise at lying, but it seemed to work. Beside, he was pretty sure that no one would dare to pressure him to speak, anyway.

Harry looked at all the people around him, and he saw Remus, who looked like if he had wished that it was Sirius at Harry's place. But he immediately smiled when he saw Harry's eyes on him, and it was so miserable and full of sadness that Harry supposed Remus would have done exactly the same thing as Sirius, if he'd had the choice.

But there was something else distracting Harry.

"Where's Neville ?"

The silence felt immediately, and Harry thought, Oh god, please tell me it's not true.

"Oh, Harry...this Veil really messed with you head, didn't it ? You know well that he's...he's dead."

* * *

" _Would it hurt to die ?_ "

 _-J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._


End file.
